St.Teresa’s College, India

Society of Teresians for Environment Protection

Society of Teresians for Environment Protection (STEP) is a charitable organisation formed by students and faculty of St. Teresa’s College Ernakulam, launched to promote the first principle of waste management- reduction in usage of plastic carry bags/rexine bags through popularisation of eco-friendly alternatives. Trendy compact reusable cloth alternatives were designed and videos illustrating the making process were uploaded on Government sites for public access. New readymade cotton alternatives were made available in the market through activities of the social entrepreneurship unit established in College campus in 2016- STEP.

Many Kudumbashree units (women Self-Help Groups) were also trained in the making process so as to promote upcycling of citizen’s own old textiles into eco-friendly carry bags in each locality. In the course of its plastic reduction activities, STEP also emerged as a promoter of textile/tailoring excess upcycle in Kerala state. Our team is a master faculty to Government agencies in these areas.

Top 3 Learnings

1. By making our students the ambassadors of this sustainable practice we are creating a sustainable community.
2. This project has helped our students to increase consciousness of environmental issues and choose opportunities that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.
3. We could learn and improve the products when the users’ provided feedbacks.